One afternoon Mac met up with me in the harbor and said there was going to be a jam session at Nolly’s house that evening. Nolly was Mac’s older brother and his house, a large chalet-type structure on “family hill”, was a popular gathering place for many. Nolly had studied architectural drafting at Humber College in Toronto and his lovely chalet proved that his time in Canada had been spent wisely.
I seemed to be younger than everyone else when I attended parties, young enough that I missed out on being a hippie from the ‘60s! I always felt a little “out of it” because I didn’t smoke marijuana, but the Island’s “packaloulou” was not for me. My clothes weren’t quite right either, I was brought up to wear a brassiere, an article of clothing the other women obviously didn’t care for. These feelings of being a “square” didn’t stop me from going to the parties, and as I got to know people I became more comfortable in their midst.
That evening (after donning my brassiere!) I made the trek from Friendship down into the harbor, toting my flute and a macaroni salad. The goat-path up to Nolly’s house was steep, but the climb was worth the effort for the view alone. The chalet was at the top of the hill and offered a panoramic view of Admiralty Bay, and the sunset that particular day was spectacular.
Nolly’s house was known as “The Church of What’s Happening Now”, or simply “De Church”. When people told you they were on their way up to De Church you knew they didn’t mean the Anglican one! When I arrived that evening the house was already filled with people tuning up various instruments, and I could tell by some of the faces I recognized that the music was going to be good. Flazo was there with his guitar, and I was especially pleased to see Casey, an American lady with a fabulous singing voice.
There were some new faces at the church that evening. A singer named Boz Scaggs had met Nolly at the Frangi Bar the night before, and Nolly had invited him to jam with us. Boz was a very well-known American singer, and he was vacationing in the Caribbean on a yacht with his entourage.
Nolly was busy in the kitchen making stew chicken and I think it’s the only time I ever saw Nolly cook! He was burning brown sugar in oil, a smell that no longer made me worry that a kitchen was on fire. I knew that the burning sugar would seal the juices in the chicken and give the food a nice color. I put my offering of macaroni salad on the table (making it one of several macaroni salads) and took a seat on the floor to enjoy the music.
There was a lot of talent at Nolly’s house that night and I wish it had been recorded. Flazo and Casey sang beautifully together, and when Boz joined his voice to theirs it was amazing. I have never forgotten that jam session, it was truly special.